The Bonds Between Nobles
by yukipup
Summary: The sequel to Secret of the Tamer: So Keiko's back, Ichiou's dead, but what's with the letter left by the Association addressed to Takuma? What happens when the very person you love the most, you have to push away? And what does Senri feel? IchixSenri
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Takuma Ichijou sat in his room as he read a book. Reading was one of the best ways he got his mind off of things that were troubling, and tonight was definitely a troubling night. Takuma laid back on his bed, his emerald green eyes stared at the ceiling as he ran his fingers through his light blond hair. It was the night after his nineteenth birthday party and the whole night class of Cross Academy had been there…well except for Kaname Kuran that is.

Kaname had left with his wife and adopted sister, Yuuki Cross about a week before and Takuma couldn't let it go. Maybe that was because he had always had a thing for the brunette that used to be the president of the Moon Dorm. Or maybe because Kaname wasn't there to stop Takuma's friend, Senri Shiki, from acting up and cutting him again. Yes, again. Takuma sighed and rolled over on his side. His mind trailed back to his eighteenth birthday last year…

_Flashback:_

It had been a normal day for Takuma as he slept soundly in his bed. A soft knock on his door had woken him so he got up and opened the door with a yawn. Kaname stood there, smiling at him, a mysterious look in his dark eyes. "Did I wake you?" Kaname asked, placing a hand on Takuma's head.

Takuma shook his head until the hand disappeared then looked up at Kaname. "Not really," the blond replied. "What's up?"

"Well…there's a Level E running around somewhere in town and I want you and Shiki to go deal with it. Okay?"

Takuma nodded. "Yes, Kaname. Oh, you did remember my birthday's today, right?"

Kaname had turned to walk away and now looked back at the blond with a knowing smile. "Of course, Ichi-kun. Why would I forget something like that?"

Takuma blushed slightly and turned away. "I…nevermind."

Kaname smirked then walked away, closing Takuma's door behind him.

Takuma looked up at the door and frowned slightly. 'Ichi-kun' was the nickname Kaname had given him when they were kids. It usually meant "Just go do what I said, please" or "I need to talk to you about something important". Now was one of the times it meant "Just go do what I said, please" so Takuma merely sighed then walked over to his closet and pulled out a silk, collared white shirt. "I think this will do," he said as he unbuttoned his pajama shirt and pulled it off. Before he had a chance to pull the other shirt on, there was another knock on he door. "I'm getting dressed now, Kaname," he called.

The door opened and Takuma saw a maroon-haired teen standing in the doorway. "Yeah, too bad I'm not Kaname," he said with a small smile.

"Oh, hi, Shiki," Takuma greeted as he pulled on his shirt. "What are you doing here?"

"I was coming to see if you were ready yet. Kaname-sama says that he wants us to go as soon as possible," Senri replied, walking over to Takuma. "You're buttoning too slow," he said, buttoning the last few buttons.

"Thanks," Takuma mumbled, looking away.

Senri's gaze wandered from Takuma to the window. "A little early to be 'E-hunting', huh?"

"I guess," Takuma replied, taking a blue sweater out of the closet. "Let's go."

"What's with the rush?" Senri asked, picking up his pace slightly to catch up to Takuma.

"You were the one who said Kaname-sama wanted us gone as soon as possible," Takuma told him with a raised eyebrow.

Senri shrugged. "Yeah, well, we can't rush too much or it'll become really troublesome."

"You say everything's troublesome," Takuma said, looking back ahead of him.

Senri smiled and placed a hand on Takuma's shoulder. "Not everything," he said.

Takuma sighed and shrugged Senri's hand off. "Please don't say it like that," he said as they walked out of the dorm building.

A little while later, Takuma and Senri were walking through the town, secretly keeping an eye out for their target.

"I was just saying," Senri said with his hands behind his head. "Being a vampire model is such a pain."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't say the 'v' word as if we were still at the dorm. You'll give us away."

Senri shrugged. "Do you really think people are listening?"

"You never know," Takuma responded. He was about to say something else, but was cut off by deranged snarling from nearby.

Shiki stopped and looked around. "I think that's our man…woman…E thing…"

"Come on, Shiki!" Takuma called, as he ran to a nearby alley. "Oh, look, Kiryuu-kun and Yuuki-chan."

"Great," Senri replied, his face suddenly adopting an unenthusiastic look. "They just get in the way."

"Well, right now it looks like they're in trouble so come on."

Senri followed Takuma down the alley until they got to where the vampire was and saw it bearing down on the two prefects. Takuma quickly drew his sword and sliced the vampire down the middle just in time. The creature yelled and exploded into dust then floated away in the air. Once the dust cleared, Zero and Yuuki gasped in surprise to see Takuma and Senri.

"Ichijou-senpai! Shiki-senpai!" Yuuki called out.

"Well, that's finished!" Takuma said with a smile as he sheathed his sword.

"I wasn't really of need," Senri said, a little disappointed.

"Why did you two do this kind of thing?" Yuuki asked confused.

Takuma switched glances with Senri then looked back at the other two. "If it interests you, come to the Moon Dormitory tonight. I'll tell you why we disposed of that Level E then."

And after that, Takuma and Senri left, leaving Yuuki and Zero standing in the same place. "What did you do that for?" Senri asked Takuma as they walked back to the school grounds.

Takuma looked over at him and smiled. "I want them to come to my birthday party tonight!"

"Your…b-birthday?" Senri said, suddenly stopping.

"You forgot, didn't you, Shiki?" Takuma asked.

"Of course not!" Senri replied, forcing a smile. "It just…uh…slipped my mind."

"Of course," Takuma responded disbelievingly.

Later that night, Takuma stood at the concession table, looking at the blood-substitute in his wine glass. Senri walked up behind him and placed his chin on Takuma's shoulder. "Hey, what's up."

Takuma jumped and hopped away from Senri. "Shiki! Don't do that!"

"Not my fault you're jumpy," Senri replied, walking over to a red-haired girl with her hair in pigtails. "Hey, Rima…"

Takuma watched him go then set his glass down happily as he saw Akatsuki Kain, a red-haired guy with red-orange eyes, and Akatsuki's cousin, Hanabusa Aido, a blond-haired, blue-eyed guy leading Zero and Yuuki into the party.

"Welcome, Yuuki-chan! Kiryuu-kun! Tonight is my birthday party! Please enjoy yourselves."

"We didn't come here to play, Ichijou-senpai. We wanted to ask you about today."

"Eh?" Takuma looked at Yuuki confused.

"Why did you dispose of the Level E, even though you're both vampires?"

"They're not the same as us," Hanabusa replied, walking over to the table.

Takuma smiled and picked up two drink glasses: one with a yellow-colored fruit drink and the other with a blood substitute. "Yuuki-chan, the society of vampires is ruled by a few purebloods and a handful of Noble Class vampires. However, those in the Night Class are all part of or above the Noble Class." He paused for a moment and handed the punch to Yuuki then held the other glass in front of Zero. "Even lower are the vampires who were once human."

"And the beings who have even fallen out of the ranks are…Level E," Shiki added from behind Yuuki. Then he walked over to stand behind Takuma.

"Vampires who were once human gradually ignore reason and will at some point inevitably end up at Level E," Takuma continued as he closed his eyes in thought. "End, destruction, and ruin."

"Those born as vampires and vampires who were once human are completely different beings," Hanabusa told Yuuki as he turned back to the table. "I don't want you to put us together."

"That way of speaking is cruel!" Yuuki broke in. "Level E's didn't become that way because they wanted to! To start off with, it was you guys who—"

"That is exactly why me must manage things," Takuma said. "Before they attack humans at random because of a hunger for blood."

"I ordered it," a voice spoke from the Dorm entrance. Takuma turned around and saw Kaname standing with an arm against one of the dorm's support pillars.

"It was you, Kaname-senpai?" Yuuki asked, looking over at Kaname.

Kaname ignored the question. "Yuuki, coming to such a dangerous place as Ichijou told you…"

'_Okay so now that's my fault. She didn't have to come,_' Takuma thought.

"I wanted to check personally," Yuuki replied looking down.

Kaname ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Personally, huh? Come here, Yuuki and Kiryuu-kun." Kaname told the two as he turned around and sat on the couch behind him.

Takuma took the drink from Yuuki then watched as she and Zero walked over to Kaname.

"Yuuki, come sit next to me," Kaname told her suddenly. Yuuki looked up at him nervously as the other vampires around them gasped and began murmuring to one another. "It's all right," he sighed.

Yuki forced a smile. "I'm fine!"

"Yuuki," Kaname said again, this time a little annoyed. Yuuki finally sat down next to Kaname and he pulled her over to him. "Next to me is the safest place," he said with a glance in Zero's direction.

Takuma turned away. He really wasn't interested in listening to the whole "Level E's are actually forbidden to be created, but because of history, they were" speech that was coming; he had heard it enough times already in his life and he had a feeling that this conversation was going to end abruptly anyway. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, something about disposing and sympathizing and little bits like that, but he had guessed that whatever Kaname was saying was pissing Zero off badly. His suspicions were confirmed when Zero pulled out a gun and aimed it at Kaname's head. Seiren, Kaname's bodyguard, acted quickly as well, barely thrusting her nails into Zero's neck, causing him to bleed but she lowered her arm at an order from Kaname. Hanabusa's temper acted up and he glared at Zero. "That was scary," Takuma mumbled to himself.

"To point a gun at Kaname-sama…even tearing him apart wouldn't be enough." He stood his ground when Zero turned to glare at him. "We won't be doing that!" the blond said. "Not whilst in this academy anyway. I don't want to go against Chairman Cross's pacifism. But don't forget that it's because of the pureblooded vampire, Kaname-sama is here that we gathered here at this academy."

Takuma noticed Yuuki look over at Kaname in shock. _'Something tells me that's the first time she heard that,_' he thought. Takuma sighed and shook his head to get the smell of Zero's blood out of his nose. Yuuki and Kaname had started talking again and Takuma was beginning to feel a little neglected. _'Okay, that's enough,'_ He clapped his hands loud and everyone looked over at him. "How mean everyone! Tonight's my birthday so we must celebrate properly for me! Yuuki-chan and Kiryuu-kun are also my special guests."

The gathered vampires seemed to agree and continued talking to each other and some got together with one another and began dancing.

'_I think it's time for the cake,' _Takuma decided, as he walked back over to the table. There was a large, sharp knife sitting on the table and Takuma picked it up and began cutting slices of the cake. Senri was suddenly at his side. "That's a big cake," he said. "Are you going to ear it by yourself?"

"It's for everyone!" Takuma said with a smile. "Would you like to cut it, Shiki?"

"Sure…hold the cake for me, Ichijou-san."

Takuma held out his hand toward Senri who took hold of the knife and quickly pulled it out of Takuma's hand, moving it at the last minute and slicing the blond's finger.

The two stood there for a moment, looking down at the bloody hand. "You cut me…" Takuma said as the blood dripped off his hand.

"I'm sorry, " Senri told him, just as captivated by the blood on his friend's hand. "Don't waste it, though," he said, taking hold of Takuma's hand and licking the blood off.

Takuma just stood motionless and stared at Senri as he began sucking the blood out of Takuma's hand. "You did that on purpose, right, Shiki?" he asked calmly.

"Eh?" Senri replied, totally absorbed in enjoying Takuma's blood.

Takuma smiled slightly. "I just hope you don't have any intentions about abusing me personally," he said softly. He suddenly looked up as he saw Zero run off and a little while later, Yuuki ran after him. "Ah, this definitely agitated him," the blond said, pulling his hand up.

"Hm?" Senri looked up in time to see Yuuki disappear. "Oh, him," he said, a trail of blood running down his chin.

Takuma looked at him and shook his head. "Shiki, my blood is dripping off your face."

"Hm?" Senri looked over at Takuma then wiped the blood off with his hand. "Guess I got carried away," he said licking his hand.

Takuma shook his head and handed a glass of water with two blood tablets to Senri. "Here, Shiki, drink this instead."

"This is boring to drink," Senri whined, twirling the liquid around in the cup.

"Oh well."

"I can't help that your blood has a nice taste," Senri mumbled, taking a small sip of the drink.

"Only you would know," Takuma replied, picking up two pieces of cake and carrying them to Kaname and Seiren.

Senri stood watching him with a smile on his face then turned to go talk to Akatsuki and Hanabusa.

_Reality:_

Takuma opened his eyes when someone knocked on his door. "Go away, Shiki," he called.

Senri opened the door and walked in then closed the door behind him. "Why? You're not upset over what I did last night, are you?"

Takuma sighed and hid his head under his pillow.

"Oh, it's not like I haven't cut you before."

"That's not the point," Takuma said, although his voice was muffled.

"Cut it out, Take," Senri told him as he sat on the bed next to the blond. "I know you liked it. Your blood had that kind of sweet taste."

"You're disgusting," Takuma told him, but deep inside the blond knew that Senri was right and he blushed. "Why would I like a guy drinking my blood?"

"Okay, then," Senri said, sticking his head under the pillow with Takuma's. "Why didn't you stop me?"

Takuma groaned slightly then turned around on his other side with his back now facing Senri.

"Aw," Senri sat back up and looked down at the blond. "What's wrong now?"

"Go away, Shiki," Takuma said softly.

"You're mean," Senri told him, leaning down and wrapping his arms around the delicate form. "But if you want me to, I'll leave."

Takuma felt Senri get up off the bed and soon he heard the door open then close again. Takuma lifted up the pillow slightly to make sure Senri was really gone then sat up. He wrapped his arms around his waist and stared at the ground. _'As if I could ever admit a thing like that to you,'_ Takuma thought as he got up and headed to his closet and took out his uniform.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Takuma walked downstairs with the rest of the Night Class students and prepared to leave. Class started as soon as twilight came and honestly, Takuma was not looking forward to it. Ever since his birthday last year, Senri had been acting different around him and last night was definitely the worst.

_Flashback:_

Last night was one of the happiest birthday's of Takuma's life…well it started that way anyway. The Moon Dorm courtyard was lit dimly with scented candles and there was a strong feeling of comfort in the air. That was mostly because Zero wasn't there. He had been killed a few months before and soon after that, Yuuki left with Kaname. So with those three people gone, the air was more pleasant. Kaname had just appointed Takuma to take over his role as Dorm President so now it was his job to appoint another Vice President; which he had already done. He had chosen Senri, one of his closest friends. There was soft music playing from a stereo and many vampire couples had gotten together and were dancing peacefully.

Takuma walked over to his birthday cake and looked around. He spotted Senri dancing with Rima and smiled to himself. _'Good. At least I know better than to let him cut the cake now.'_ Just as he finished processing the thought, Senri was right there by him. "Plan on letting me cut it again?" he asked.

"Not really," Takuma told him with a small smile. "I don't want my blood getting all over the knife like last time."

"Well, fine then," Senri replied with a slight pout.

"President Ichijou!" Rima called from the side of the dorm building. "Would you come here, please?"

"Coming, Rima," Takuma called. Senri stood behind him with a slight smirk on his face.

"And just what do _you_ have planned?" a female voice asked. Senri turned to see a girl with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes next to him. Keiko Mie: Takuma's half-sister, school prefect, and Hanabusa Aido's girlfriend.

"Oh, hi, Kei."

"'Oh, hi' is right," Keiko replied as she watched her brother disappear into the dark shadow of the dorm. "You realize if you hurt him, I'll have to kill you, right?"

Senri looked down at Keiko and raised an eyebrow. She looked back at him and frowned.

"Keiko!" Hanabusa called from behind them.

Keiko looked at Hanabusa then back at Senri. "Make it fast, whatever you're going to do." Then she turned and ran over to Hanabusa.

Senri watched her leave with a smile. _'That's right. Keiko's a vampire tamer as well as a vampire...talk about oxymoron.'_ He looked up when Rima came walking back up to him. "You owe me big time, Shiki," she whispered as she walked into the dorm.

Senri nodded at her then followed Takuma's trail into the shadows. The blond was looking around, clearly confused then looked down at his hand. "What's the matter, Takuma?" Senri asked.

Takuma looked over at Senri with a puzzled expression. "I'm bleeding, Shiki," the blond replied. "I was coming to ask Rima what she wanted, but by the time I got here, she was gone and then when I went to go look for her, I cut my hand on a piece of metal sticking out of a brick. But…now the metal's gone."

Senri walked over and took Takuma's injured hand. "It'll be okay," he said softly.

"Shiki…" Takuma said warningly.

"Hm?" Senri answered, already licking the blood off the hand.

Takuma stayed silent and watched Senri. "Nevermind…" he finally whispered. The blond's green eyes glittered softly in the moonlight as he watched the blood being slowly cleaned away.

Senri lifted up his head and looked at Takuma's face. Takuma blushed and quickly looked to the side. Senri, of course, didn't notice the blush in the darkness, but he could tell what Takuma was feeling just by his body language. The blond gasped softly as he was forced back into the wall. "What, President Ichijou?" Senri asked gently.

"I hope you're not planning on doing what I think you're planning on doing," Takuma told him nervously.

"Well, if what you're going to say is perverted, then no I'm not going to do that," Senri replied with a smile. "But I am going to do this…"

Takuma winced as Senri lowered his head and bit down on Takuma's neck. "Shi…ki…you know…better…" Takuma whispered.

Senri closed his eyes and focused on the taste of Takuma's blood. There was, of course, the bitter tang of blood that was expected but underneath all that…there was definitely a sweet taste, a little like sugar. Senri opened his eyes and pulled away from Takuma's neck. The blond had his head back and was sweating slightly, his chest rising and falling with shaky breaths: unquestionable signs of pleasure.

Takuma looked over at Senri with a frown. "I…hate you…" he breathed.

"Believe what you want, birthday boy," Senri replied, placing a hand on the side of Takuma's face. "I know the truth."

Takuma stood with a shocked expression as Senri walked away from him and back to the party. "Oniisan?" someone called. Takuma turned his head and saw Keiko standing nearby. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Takuma forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told her.

"That jerk," Keiko said, mostly to herself as she looked at her brother's blood-drenched shirt. "You need to change. Come on."

After he had left with Keiko, Takuma had gone back to the party, but everyone noticed that he was a bit distracted. Not to mention the fact that he had suddenly changed his clothes, so they ended the party early and everyone went back to their rooms, Takuma included who went straight to bed.

_Reality:_

As soon as the Moon Dorm gate opened, the Night Class was greeted with screams and squeals of excitement, but to Takuma, all the voices seemed so far away as he stared at the ground. He looked up when he heard a shrill whistle and Keiko suddenly ran up to the mobbing Day Class girls. "Just 'cause I turn by back for two seconds does not mean that you can start swarming them like bees! Now, GET BACK!!"

The girls all stopped what they were doing and jumped back, creating a pathway for the Night Class. "Ichijou-senpai's sister is scary," one of them whispered.

Another nodded. "Yeah…I think she's worse than Kiryuu-kun was."

Keiko turned and glared at them for a moment before noticing her brother's dazed look. "Oniisan!" Keiko called. Takuma looked over at her and waved wearily. "Stay here," she told the girls threateningly before running over to Takuma. "Hey, Oniisan, what's up?"

"Still confused…" Takuma answered, looking at her. "You know he came into my room earlier."

"Oh, really?" Keiko said, frowning. "What did he want?"

"Nothing really," Takuma said, glancing away.

Keiko noticed that her brother's normally cheery, bright green eyes were now dull and confused…a look that did not suit him in the least bit. "Don't worry about it, Oniisan," Keiko told him with a smile. "Senri's just being mean. As soon as I get rid of these girls, I'll head to class with you guys, okay?"

"That's going to take a while," Takuma said in a singsong voice.

Keiko raised an eyebrow and turned around. "GET TO YOUR DORMS, NOW!!" she yelled, sending the girls in a mad frenzy back to the Girls Dorm. "You were saying?" she said to her brother.

Takuma shook his head and smiled. "You _are_ scary, Kei-chan."

"I try," Keiko replied with a smile. "Now come on, the others are leaving us."

***

Takuma sat in class and stared at his notebook. He didn't feel like taking notes, which was unusual in itself, and now he just wanted to lay his head down and sleep.

Keiko, who was sitting next to him, nudged him. "I'll take the notes for you, Oniichan," she whispered, leaning over to him.

Takuma nodded and laid his head on the desk.

"Yagari-sensei?" Keiko suddenly said, raising her hand. The black-haired teacher looked up and stared at Keiko with his one good light blue eye. "Yeah?"

"May my brother and I be excused? We have business to take care of."

"Gah, Kuran leaves and suddenly the Ichijou family thinks they rule…whatever," he said, looking back down at the textbook in front of him. "Now turn to page 241 and…"

Keiko gently pushed her brother out of the classroom and closed the door. "Takuma, come on. You're so out of it right now. Senri's a jerk so just ignore what he did, okay? And it's not like anyone noticed since we heal quickly."

Takuma glanced up at her then looked back down at the ground.

"All right, that's it!" Keiko said firmly. When Takuma looked up at her, she winked. "I know what'll cheer Oniichan up."

Takuma barely had time to think when his sister grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go!"

Keiko and Takuma changed into casual clothes then headed into town. Takuma bumped into Keiko when she stopped in front of a store. "Hm? I've never been here before," Takuma said, looking up at the sign.

"That's 'cause I never brought _you_," Keiko said with a smile. "Hana-kun and I come here all the time. Come on!"

As they went in, Takuma noticed that it wasn't a store but a café instead. The host saw Keiko and waved. "Good to see you, Keiko! Late night special as always?"

Keiko shook her head. "Nah, that's my and Hana-kun's special dessert. This is my brother, Takuma."

"Nice to meet you," the host replied, smiling at Takuma. "So what can I do for you?"

Keiko grabbed Takuma's arm and leaned against him. "Oniichan's upset so he needs something big, really sweet, and overflowing in chocolate!"

"I got just the thing!" the host replied, walking back into the kitchen.

"Thank you!" Keiko called after him.

Takuma turned to his sister and smiled. "So _this_ is where you and Aido disappear off to, huh?"

Keiko blushed and nodded. "Yeah. We're big on sweets so we come here a lot after class. I told Hana-kun that I'd be taking you tonight and he said that he'd come by later."

"That's nice. That chocolate smells really good," he said, suddenly looking towards the kitchen.

"I know right?" Keiko giggled. "This place has the best chocolate and sweets in the whole country! I love it here!"

"I wouldn't say the best in the _country_," the host replied, coming back with a large bowl in his hands. Ichijou's eyes widened as the host placed the bowl on the table. In it was the biggest sundae Takuma had ever seen in his entire life. There were at least six scoops of ice cream (two of each chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry), topped with sliced bananas, strawberries, and pineapple, drenched in chocolate syrup, and still topped with different kinds of candy and a cherry. "Will this do?" the host asked with a grin.

Keiko nodded. "Thanks, Toru."

"No problem, Keiko. Anything for my favorite customer."

Keiko smiled and laid her head on her intertwined fingers. "Dig in, Oniichan."

Takuma picked up his spoon and looked down at the sundae. "I don't know where to start," he said to his sister.

Keiko picked up her spoon and grinned. "That's easy! Start from the ice cream! Itadakimasu!" she said happily before scooping three spoonfuls of ice cream into her mouth.

"You're going to get brain-freeze that way, Imouto-chan," Takuma said, raising an eyebrow. "Uh…too late."

Keiko laid her head on the counter then looked back up at Takuma. "Come on, Takuma! I know we were separated for ten years, but if there's one thing I remember about you, it's that you love ice cream sundaes."

Takuma smiled and scooped out a spoonful of ice cream. "You know what, Keiko? You're right." And with that, he stuck the spoon in his mouth and began eating the sundae with his sister.

***

Takuma waved good-bye to his sister as he left to go back to the school. Hanabusa had shown up after class was over and he and Keiko were going to stay and spend time together.

"Bye, Oniisan!" Keiko called before pulling Hanabusa back inside the café.

Takuma smiled and looked up at the sky. The sundae had definitely taken away most of his worries and his mood was a lot better. Keiko had always had a way with cheering him up when he was down, even when they were kids.

A few minutes later, Takuma arrived back at the academy. Morning was just below the horizon, so he had to find something to do to occupy his time. He opened the door to his room and walked in then closed it with a sigh. "What do you want, Shiki?"

Senri smiled from his place on Takuma's bed. "I got worried when President Ichijou disappeared."

"I was fine with my sister, you know," Takuma replied curtly.

Senri's smiled disappeared. "It wasn't just me, Ichijou-san. The others were worried, too. Seriously, you can't just vanish like that without telling anyone where you're going."

Takuma looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "You…really _were_ worried?"

Senri stood up and stretched. "Of course I was. You're my best friend, you know."

"I thought that was Rima," Takuma replied, taking off his uniform jacket.

"Well, her, too," Senri said, closely watching Takuma. "But she's a fellow model, so that's why."

"Uh-huh." Takuma shook his head then removed his vest and shirt. Senri stared at him until Takuma looked over. "What?" Takuma asked.

Senri didn't reply but instead walked over behind Takuma and hugged him. "Why are you such a jerk sometimes?" Senri asked softly.

"I could ask you the same thing," Takuma responded, looking down at the ground.

"I only do it because you make me," Senri told him, closing his eyes and resting his head on Takuma's shoulder.

"Oh? And how do I make you?"

"I react to how you treat me…and usually you ignore me or tell me to go away or something like that."

"That's because…because…"

"Because what?" Senri asked. He leaned his head against Takuma's and breathed in the blond's scent.

"Nevermind," Takuma said. "Let me go."

"See? That's what I mean," Senri said, releasing him. "I try to find out what's wrong and you push me away."

"I don't want to talk about it," Takuma mumbled, pulling on his pajamas.

"Talk about what, Ichijou-san? If you just open up a little then maybe--"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Takuma yelled abruptly. "Now get out of my room!"

Senri stood shocked for a moment before sighing. "Fine…if that's the way you want it." And he turned around and walked out of the room.

Takuma flinched as Senri slammed the door shut. He hadn't meant to yell, but it was the only way to get through to the guy's head. It wasn't easy for the blond to admit to Senri, let alone to himself, that he had a crush on the maroon-haired boy. He glanced up at the window and, seeing that it was now dawn, climbed into bed.

Down the hall, Senri sat on his bed and stared at the wall. That was the first time Takuma had ever yelled at him, or anyone really. The blond was usually very laid back and cheery, so why was it that every time Senri approached him, Takuma reacted in a negative way? _'Maybe I shouldn't toy around with him like I do,'_ he thought, falling backwards onto his pillow. _'But I can't help it…'_ He had always kind of liked the blond, but it was difficult for him to express. He usually ended up saying or doing something that struck a nerve or letting his vampire instincts overcome him…although it seemed like Takuma enjoyed getting his blood sucked by him. Senri sighed and rolled on his side. "You're so complicated, Ichijou," he said before pulling his pillow over his head and closing his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The next day, Takuma and Keiko walked through town together. They were on their way to find a Level E that had been terrorizing, and sometimes killing, humans. Takuma looked over at his younger sister curiously. Her adoptive family had been attacked and killed by a Level E vampire almost a year and a half ago so Takuma was afraid that she would be overcautious. Far from it. Keiko was frowning slightly but had a smile on her face, an expression of determination. She looked over at Takuma and raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't think I'm gonna freak, do you?"

Takuma shrugged. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Keiko scoffed playfully. "News flash, big brother. I came with you because you're totally distracted, remember? We're the ultimate team. I tame the Level E temporarily then you slice it to pieces." She pouted slightly as she added, "Although I wish _I_ could wield the sword."

Takuma smiled and ruffled his sister's hair. "Sorry, Imouto-chan. Maybe in a few hundred years."

"Meanie," Keiko mumbled.

The siblings looked up when they heard a female scream from further down the road. "Come on," Takuma told Keiko before taking off and running into an abandoned building.

"Takuma!" Keiko called, running into the building after her brother. She cursed silently to herself as she looked around. It was a good thing her vampire instincts had been awakened by her grandfather; now she could see almost perfectly in the dark. "Takuma?" she called again.

She jumped as something clattered behind her and pulled out her anti-vampire gun. "Calm down, Keiko," Takuma's voice said. Keiko turned around and saw her brother behind her looking around.

"Why'd you run off like that?" Keiko asked harshly.

"Sorry," Takuma told her with an apologetic smile. "I thought I could catch it. I'm used to doing this with Shiki."

Keiko sighed and shook her head as her brother adopted a kind of distracted look at the mention of Senri's name. "You annoy me sometimes," she said as she turned away. "I'm checking upstairs," she told him.

Takuma watched his sister warily walk up the stairs then disappear. He sighed and sat down on the ground. Even in the middle of hunting a dangerous enemy, he was thinking about Senri. He hid his face in his hands and sighed again. He uncovered his face slightly when he thought he heard a noise. Getting up cautiously, Takuma unsheathed his sword and took a step forward. "Keiko? Is that you?" He felt something rush past behind him and swung around. "Come on, Keiko, this isn't funny." An uneasy feeling from behind him sent shivers up his spine and he turned around a second too late.

The rogue vampire grabbed Takuma from behind, causing him to drop his sword, then covered his mouth. The blond struggled as he was forced onto the ground on his stomach. He felt the weight of his attacker settle itself on his back and soon he could feel the warm breath of the other vampire on his neck.

"Noble blood is one of the best to drink," the vampire said eerily. "I shall enjoy it all."

Takuma wanted to say something back but as soon as he opened his mouth and breathed in, pain flew across his chest. Apparently the combined effect of the vampire pushing his chest against the ground and his impact with the ground was leaving him winded and exhausted. He began to panic as the breath on his neck grew even hotter and soon the feeling of fangs piercing his neck engulfed him. He realized as the Level E began devouring his blood that it wasn't holding back. It clearly wanted every drop of blood Takuma's body had to offer. The effects of blood loss soon began to overcome him as he felt lightheaded and still the other vampire continued on. It couldn't end like this. He had a little sister and he still hadn't told Senri what he really felt about him. But as everything began to go black, Takuma thought the worst. _'I'm really going to die,'_ he thought, closing his eyes. This was definitely the end.

"Oniisan!" Takuma opened his eyes wearily as he heard his sister's voice. "Oniisan, hold on!" _'Keiko?'_ he thought weakly. He closed his eyes again with a small smile. _'I'm sorry, little sister.'_

"Takuma!" Takuma's eyes shot open. Senri! Senri was _here_! "Hold on Takuma," Senri said, and soon Takuma smelt the faint scent of Senri's blood. The rogue vampire yelled out and the blond felt the weight disappear off of him. _'Shiki used his blood whip,'_ Takuma thought with a smile. In order to attack, Senri would bite his finger and could manipulate the blood in any direction he wanted, like a whip. Takuma moaned softly as he felt himself being lifted up onto a warm lap. He looked up, meeting Senri's worried, blue eyes with his own dim, green ones.

"Ichijou, are you okay?" Senri asked softly.

Takuma blinked softly and nodded. "I am now," he whispered.

"You idiot. What were you doing?"

"I…I don't remember," Takuma told him. "But…I think it involved you…somehow…" His eyes fluttered shut as he sat on the brink of unconsciousness.

"Takuma? Takuma, stay with me," Senri told him. He remembered how he had used the blood whip earlier and bit his finger again. "Takuma?" he called again. The blond opened his eyes slightly, but said nothing. Senri pushed his bloody finger inside of Takuma's mouth and waited. He soon felt Takuma respond and start to gently suck the blood out and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness."

"Senri! Oniisan!" Senri looked up and saw Keiko running over to them. "Is he okay?" Keiko asked, plopping down on the ground next to the boys.

Senri nodded as he pulled his finger out of Takuma's mouth. "I think so. We need to get him back to the academy. Rima's in the car outside," he continued, lifting the blond up in his arms. "Let's go."

***

Senri sat in his room staring at the wall. It had been almost a day since the Level E attack and Takuma still hadn't woken up. _'Were we too late?'_ Senri thought. He shook the thought out of his head and laid his head in his hands. Yesterday when he had lifted Takuma into his lap, the blond had said that he was okay only when Senri had lifted him onto his lap. And then he had said that whatever he had been doing before the attack involved him. How could it have involved him when he wasn't even there until later? Senri ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. When did he start feeling this way for the blond? The worry, the caring, the protectiveness…those feelings were a little strange to him, or to any vampire really. It was not _rare_, but somewhat unusual for them to have that kind of feeling and be able to stick with it throughout his or her life.

The teen hadn't even thought this way when he and Takuma shared a room. Everything seemed to be fine and then Keiko showed up and, suddenly, Takuma wanted his own room. Senri couldn't understand it. _'Then again,'_ Senri thought to himself, _'Takuma has been acting a little different ever since Keiko came back with Aido that one time.'_ About a year ago, after Keiko had been enrolled in the Night Class at Cross Academy, Hanabusa had 'kidnapped' Keiko and they disappeared to Kyoto. Four months after that, they got a call from Hanabusa saying that Keiko and Takuma's grandfather, Asato Ichijou, nicknamed Ichiou, had kidnapped her. It was then that they found out that Keiko was a vampire…and when Takuma began avoiding Senri and pushing him away when so much as a curious glance was put in his direction. Senri sighed and scratched his head then looked up when a knock sounded on his door.

"Come in," he called.

The door opened a crack and Keiko put her head through. "Oniisan's awake."

***

Takuma opened his eyes to find himself in the school's infirmary. His neck ached and when he reached up to touch it, he felt a bandage wrapped around his neck. _'What the--?'_ He then remembered the Level E hunt and how he had been attacked. Senri had held him and then…and then what? Everything went black after that. He didn't even know how long he had been out.

Takuma turned his head as the door to the room opened and Keiko walked in followed by Senri. "Hey, Oniichan," Keiko said softly. "How're you feeling?"

Takuma shrugged his shoulders weakly, not really having the strength to talk. His eyes flickered over to Senri and he gave the other teen a small smile.

Senri smiled back but that smile soon disappeared when Takuma coughed then moaned, closing his eyes.

"I don't understand," Keiko said, somewhat to herself. Senri looked over at her. "Vampires should heal at extraordinary rates, but Takuma…it's been a little over twenty-four hours and he's just getting worse."

Senri stared at Keiko a little while longer before letting his gaze travel back to the once again unconscious blond. As much as he hated to admit it…Keiko was right. Takuma should have been okay by now, but his condition was getting steadily worse and they couldn't understand why. And the only thing he could to was watch helplessly as whatever it was that was ailing the blond ate him away from the inside.

Keiko sighed and turned to walk out. "I'm going to the library," she told Senri.

Senri looked up at her in confusion. "Why?"

"I've always wanted to be a nurse," she explained. "Now's my chance. I'm going to find out what's killing my brother."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"Damn it!" Keiko ran her fingers through her hair in annoyance. She was sitting at what used to be Kaname's desk (before he left) with five stacks of books strewn all over the surface. It had been three days since her half-brother, Takuma, had been attacked by a Level E vampire and hospitalized. The blond's condition had stabilized, but he was still slipping in and out of consciousness for no apparent reason. His best friend, Senri, had been away on a model photo premiere, although honestly what he really wanted to do was stay by Takuma's side. Keiko wouldn't allow it saying, "Do you want Oniichan to wake up, knowing you've been doing nothing but worrying? Go on to your premiere, I'll watch him while you're gone and he'll be better by the time you get back."

Keiko looked down at the book in front of her in despair. She was even beginning to doubt herself and what she could do. Senri was supposed to be coming back this afternoon and the brunette girl was not even a little bit closer to finding out her brother's condition. Pushing the chair back, she stood up and walked into the infirmary.

Takuma was lying on his back, breathing softly as he slept. One thing Keiko had learned to do while watching her brother was a physical checkup. She walked over to a drawer and pulled out an ear thermometer and stuck it gently inside the blond's ear…_beep!_ 99.2. He still had a fever. As Keiko turned around to get the stethoscope, she heard Takuma moan gently and she turned around just in time to see his eyes open.

"Oniisan?"

Takuma turned his head slightly so he could see his sister. "Hi, Keiko," he said, barely audible.

"Feeling any better?" his sister asked, pressing the stethoscope to his chest.

"Yeah," Takuma told her. "I do…where's Shiki?"

Keiko took the medical instrument out of her ears and stared at her brother in confusion. "He had a photo premiere," she told him. "He's been gone since yesterday."

Takuma's eyes widened in panic. "He's gone?!" he exclaimed, sitting straight up.

Keiko sprang forward and pushed him gently back down. "It's okay, Oniisan, he's coming back this afternoon." She watched as her brother relaxed a bit then collapsed back on the bed. The wheels in her head suddenly began turning and an idea hit her. "Oniisan? Maybe you should stay with someone until you get better?"

Takuma turned his head to look at her again. "Stay? You mean out of the dorms?"

Keiko shook her head. "No. Still in the dorms. I mean with someone here. You know, like Senri."

Takuma tensed slightly and looked away. "He wouldn't want to," he said softly.

"What makes you think that?" Keiko asked, leaning forward to look into her brother's soft green eyes.

Takuma shrugged in response and stared back into the inquisitive blue green eyes above him.

"Just give it a try, will ya?" Keiko pressed, flopping back into her chair. "He seems so _dull_ lately. Both of you do. I think you both just need to sit down and have a good, old-fashioned vampire-to-vampire talk."

"You mean like what we're having?"

"Mm, not really," Keiko told him. "You'll see what I mean. Senri'll be back in about an hour or so, so I'll talk to him then, 'kay?"

Takuma looked away from his sister and sighed. There was no stopping the young vampire mix when she made up her mind about something. "Fine," he told her at last.

"Good! Now go back to sleep and I'll take care of everything."

Takuma watched his sister leave the room and close the door behind her. He rolled over on his side, groaning when his head began to pound. He opened his eyes a sliver and stared at nothing in particular. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said softly before closing his eyes again.

***

Senri sat in the back seat of his car and stared out the window. He'd been away from Takuma for almost two days thanks to that little vampire mix pest called Keiko. He frowned slightly as he thought of the blond unconscious in his medical bed as Senri posed for those annoying agents and fans of his. Being a model was great and all, but only when they gave him a break to stay with the person he loved when he was sick…wait a second! _Love?!_ Since when did Senri _love_ Takuma? The brunette banged his head against the window causing his chauffeur and agent to look in the rearview mirror.

"Senri, you're going to get yourself hurt one of these days. What's your problem lately?"

"Nothing you'd understand," he mumbled before looking back out of the window.

The woman in the front seat sighed and focused her attention back on the road. "You just don't tell me anything anymore…"

Senri glared at her out of the corner of his eye. _'Oh, yeah, sure,'_ he thought. _'Let's all just come out and say that we're in love with our best friend who also happens to be the same gender as us. Good idea.'_ "Just drive," he told her out loud.

Senri arrived back at the academy about five minutes later where he saw Keiko pacing anxiously, waiting for him to arrive. As soon as Senri's agent had dropped him off and drove away, he looked at Keiko. "What's going on? Is Takuma okay?!" he asked urgently.

Keiko smirked. "He's fine, he's fine," she said, waving a hand in dismissal of his worry. "I have something I need to talk to you about."

Senri narrowed his eyes slightly. "Uh…good or bad?" he asked nervously.

Keiko frowned in thought. "That depends…how do you feel about sharing a room with my brother?"

"What?!" Senri burst out. He quickly regained himself and looked down, blushing. "It'd be nice I guess," he mumbled.

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because," Keiko started, suddenly serious. "I think the real reason he's deteriorating like he is, is because he feels as though you're not with him anymore."

"What are you talking about? I've been by his side for ages. Since before you even found out he was your brother."

Keiko frowned. "That's not what he thinks. You know, he woke up again today." Senri looked up at this. "I told him that you were away at a photo shoot and he just about crapped his pants knowing that you were gone."

Senri looked down guiltily. "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about…to say how much it hurt him?"

Keiko scoffed. "No, you dimwit. Remember when I asked you about sharing a room with him? He needs that emotional comfort. If you can two can share a room together, then maybe his condition would even out."

"It's a thought," Senri replied thoughtfully. "But…how do you know if he would even _want_ to share a room again?"

Keiko sighed in exasperation. "Good grief, you boys are all the same. He asked the same question. It's obvious you two still like each other so just get together!"

Senri blushed furiously. "I…you…he…Keiko!"

"What? I'm just saying how it is. Just go talk to him will ya? I doubt he's asleep. He's been edgy ever since I told him you were on your way back."

Senri started to protest again but, as usual, couldn't get a word in before Keiko danced off to go find Hanabusa.

Senri walked into Takuma's room a few minutes later to see the blond sitting up, reading a book. Takuma looked up as the door opened and set the book down. "Senri!" he called joyfully.

Senri tilted his head slightly in confusion. Takuma almost _never_ called him by his first name…unless something very unusual was happening. He frowned. "What?"

The bright light died slightly from the blond's eyes. "Do you not like me calling you 'Senri'?" Takuma asked confused.

Senri shook his head. "No, I have no problem with it, just…you never do."

Takuma smiled and pushed back the bed sheet. As his feet touched the ground and he stood up, he wobbled slightly and put his hand to his head. "Ow…" he moaned.

Senri sighed and walked to Takuma's side, steadying the blond with his arm. "You're going to get hurt, you know," he said softly.

Takuma smiled again and wrapped his arms around Senri's body.

The other teen stared down in shock as Takuma nuzzled his face into Senri's chest. "I-Ichijou?"

Takuma looked up with a pout. "I'm calling you by _your_ first name, Senri. You could at least to the same to _me_."

"I…I'm sorry…Takuma…just…what's the _matter_ with you?"

Takuma leaned back so he could look in Senri's eyes without a problem. "What do you mean?"

Senri placed his hand on the blond's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Takuma shook his head fiercely until Senri moved his hand. "I'm _fine_," he insisted. Then he snuggled his face into Senri's chest again. "You smell good," he murmured.

Senri took Takuma by the shoulders and pushed him backwards slightly. "Seriously, Ichijou, what's the matter with you? You were avoiding me not even thirty-six hours ago."

"Keiko said we needed to have a vampire-to-vampire talk so that's what I'm trying to do."

"By pressing your face against my chest?" Senri asked incredulously.

Takuma frowned. "Well excuse me if you can't deal with me being cuddly."

Senri raised an eyebrow. "Is this about the room thing?"

A look of worry flashed across Takuma's face. "Yeah," he said, drawing the word out. "I wanted to ask you if it was okay with you."

Senri stared at Takuma. That was pretty much exactly what he was wondering about the blond. He nodded slowly. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Why even bother?" Takuma asked. "You know how I feel."

"Do I?"

"You _should_."

Senri shook his head. "Yeah, that's not so easy considering every time I tried to show it you would throw a bitch fit."

"Hmph, I did not," Takuma huffed, turning his head away and sticking his nose in the air. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course. I never do, do I?"

"I didn't say _that_," Takuma said.

"You implied it."

Takuma sighed in exasperation. "Fine, think what you want." And he walked back to the bed and crawled back under the covers.

Senri waited until Takuma rolled over on his side so that he was facing away from him, then walked over and sat on the bed. "Sorry," he said gently.

"No you're not," Takuma mumbled childishly.

Senri sighed and took the blond's chin between his thumb and pointer finger and turned Takuma's face toward him. "Yes, I am," he said. "What do I have to do to show it? Kiss you or something?"

Takuma blushed. "Well…" he said under his breath. Before he could finish, Senri leaned down and pressed his lips gently against the blond's. Takuma's face grew deep red and for a split second he considered pushing Senri away. That desire soon went away as he felt Senri's lips part slightly and he did the same, Senri taking the opportunity to push his tongue into the blond's mouth.

Takuma closed his eyes as his and Senri's tongues played around for control. Senri pulled away and adjusted his body so that he was sitting on the blond's waist, the covers pushed back behind him then leaned down and kissed Takuma again.

Takuma gasped softly as Senri's hands wandered into his shirt and caressed his side. He opened his eyes slightly, only to be caught in Senri's sky blue stare. The blond let out a shaky breath as he reached up between their bodies and began fumbling with the buttons on Senri's shirt. Senri chuckled softly. "Even now, you unbutton as slowly as ever," he said as he began assisting Takuma with his shirt. Then, as Takuma undid the last button, Senri slid the shirt off of his perfect, model-sculpted shoulders. He bent back down to engage the blond in another kiss but stopped when he noticed that Takuma was pouting. "What's wrong? Oh." Senri smirked and pulled Takuma's white shirt over his shoulders, revealing his soft, light skin.

Takuma smiled and wrapped his arms around Senri's neck, pulling the brunette's face down to his own again.

Keiko stood on the other side of the door, a smirk on her face. She knew this was exactly what needed to happen to have her brother in perfect health again…it might even help Senri, too, and lord knows the other teen needed the help as well. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard her brother moan softly and looked back up to see Senri rubbing his lips against the side of her brother's neck. She squealed quietly in excitement…well she thought it was quietly anyway. Senri looked up then back at Takuma apologetically. "I'm sorry, Taku, it seems we have a little door mouse."

Takuma pouted and looked over at the door. "Keiko!" he whined.

Keiko peeked in. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Guess I had nothing to worry about."

Senri sighed and got off of the bed, resulting in a whining groan from Takuma. "Sorry, Takuma, it seems this just isn't the time. You still need to recover, you know."

"I'm fine," Takuma mumbled, a frown on his face as he looked over at his sister. She shrugged and gave him a nervous grin.

Senri kissed the blond on the head then picked up his shirt and pulled it back over his shoulders. "Another time, I promise," he said with a small smile. Then, after buttoning his shirt and fixing his hair, he walked out of the room.

The Ichijou siblings watched him leave then looked at each other after they were certain he was gone. Takuma glared at Keiko and was about to say something smart until he saw the bright excitement in her eyes and his glare softened.

Keiko skipped over to her brother's side and hugged him tightly. "I told you so!" she said happily.

Takuma smiled and hugged her back. "Yes you did, Kei…yes you did."


End file.
